


Rose and Percival

by griminwonderland



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Just all the fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, Talk of Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-04-19 12:36:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4746707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/griminwonderland/pseuds/griminwonderland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I left my phone number on the bathroom stall and you text me about your day and frustrations for a month and it's really nice and cute, but I still don't know who you are." </p><p>___</p><p>First published fic for RT/AH so bare with me here</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Why did I agree to do this?” Ray asked himself while writing his number on the boy’s bathroom wall, on a Monday morning. He was sure that Gavin would have lost that bet. How was he supposed to know that Gavin would get lucky and actually beat him in a match of Halo?

He stepped back to admire his work. He wrote his number, a little message ( _lonely and need a friend?_ ) with a rose doodle. He was going to kill Gavin. He sighed and grabbed his book bag off the floor. He exited the bathroom and as he walked to the library, Ray hoped nothing would come out of this. Gavin would be so disappointed that he won this bet for nothing.

He entered the library and made his way to his usual spot. Michael and Gavin were already there snickering to themselves.

“Michael, asshole.” Ray greeted them as he sat down at their table in the back corner of the huge room.

“Has the deed been done?” Gavin managed to get out between small fits of giggling.

“Yes, the message and all. I’m going to haunt you if this gets me murdered.”

Gavin squawked and Michael busted out into full laughter. A nearby librarian shushed them and returned to putting books back on their shelves. The lads continued their normal conversations until the morning bell rang. The school day went on without an incident. Ray didn’t actually get anything for a week. He thought he was in the clear until Saturday night. His phone went off during a Destiny raid and he was sure it was Michael asking about how he was doing in the raid so far.

He was pretty confused when an unknown number had texted him. Then he remembered his mistake. He groaned and tossed his phone onto his bed. Hopefully the person who texted him would kindly fuck off. He was pleased when his phone didn’t go off again. When he finally went to bed, curiosity got the better of him and he checked the message from the unknown number.

_**Unknown** : Uh, hi there? I’m not sure why I’m doing this but I saw your message in the bathroom and I was curious. Nice rose btw _

Ray smiled to himself, but was too tired to respond back. It was close to four in the morning and the text was sent to him six hours prior. The sender is probably asleep and has forgotten about sending the message. Ray wondered who actually sent him the message but he didn’t let it bother him and fell asleep.

Sunday morning came and went without another word from the number. Monday morning though, on his way to school, Ray got another message.

_**Unknown** : Dude, I am super tired. Spent too much time playing Destiny. Did manage to get some better gear._

Ray raised an eyebrow at the message. He was about to reply when Gavin yelled for him. Throughout the week, Ray would get random texts about the person’s day.

_**Unknown** : Why does math have to be a bitch sometimes? _

_**Unknown** : Yes Mr. Heyman, please continue to tell us the value of gold for the hundredth time _

_**Unknown** : Today is actually pretty good for once_

_**Unknown** : Got a sweet new gun Destiny _

Sometimes, they person would ask Ray question but he would never reply. It felt awkward to now.

The texting continued on for a month. Ray discovered a lot about this person, whom he nicknamed Percival. He was a big nerd. Good with computers, really smart, likes anime, manga, and video games. He was funny, into theater, and Ray might have developed a little crush. But, Ray still had no clue who the fuck this person is. Michael and Gavin were asking questions and Ray almost couldn’t take it anymore. He had to reply back.

It was Friday night and Ray couldn’t focus on his game of Tetris. He had been thinking about what to say to Percival. Should he introduce himself? Explain why he hasn’t responded until now? Just act like nothing happened and just carry on with the conversation? Ray jumped when his phone went off and he scrambled to grab it. His stomach dropped when he started to read the incoming messages Percival sent.

_**Percival** : Why do I bother? Why do I care? Why should I? It doesn’t matter in the end anyway. Nobody really cares. Not even my own parents. _

_**Percival** : They hate me. They hate that I’m gay. That I like theater. That I’m not the Christian son they raised. _

_**Percival** : My friends don’t even notice anything different. They’re too wrapped up with their girlfriends. Maybe I should end it. Save everybody the trouble of dealing with me… _

Ray knew he had to respond now. Percival had become such a nice part of his life. He enjoyed hearing about his day or his bad obsession with Destiny.

_**Me** : I care. Despite not knowing who u are, I care. A lot. _

_**Me** : I love hearing about your day and about your love-hate relationship with Destiny and video games in general. _

_**Me** : And so what if you’re gay? I’m bi. Also, fuck your parents. I’m pretty sure you’re still the same son they raised. _

_**Me** : You’re really sweet and funny. I would hate to see you go… ): I’m pretty sure your friends would be devastated if you were gone. At the same time tho, fuck them for ignoring you too. _

Ray exhaled as he sent the last message. He really hoped he didn’t make things worse. He stared at his phone while waiting for Percival’s reply. Five minutes went by, no message. Ray started to panic. Did he fuck up? He fucked up, didn’t he? Shit, why didn’t he reply to Percival sooner? Ray jumped again and sighed in relief as he unlocked his phone when it went off.

_**Percival** : Thank you. Sorry it took me a bit to reply. Had to calm down from crying. _

_**Me** : It’s alright. I’m glad you’re okay. Do you want to talk about anything? _

_**Percival** : Not really, kinda already got most of it off my chest._

_**Me** : Okay, well I’m here for you. If you ever need to talk about this stuff. _

_**Percival** : Thanks, man. I don’t know why it’s so easy to talk to a stranger._

_**Me** : I’m not sure either, but if it helps, it helps. Wanna trade gamertags? :D _

_**Percival** : Sure, mine is BM_Vagabond_

_**Me** : I’m Brownman. That’s an interesting name _

_**Percival** : It’s a theater reference _

_**Percival** : Holy shit, your Gamerscore is ridiculous _

_**Me** : I seriously do not have a life outside of school. Btw, I’m Ray. _

_**Percival** : Lol, I’m Ryan. _

Ray changed Ryan’s contact so his name was correct.

_**Me** : This whole time, your nickname was Percival ;P _

_**Ryan** : Your nickname for me was Rose and out of all the names you could have chosen, you chose Percival?? _

_**Me** : What? It’s the name of my cat in Minecraft. _

Ray got a notification on his x-box for Ryan’s friend request. He quickly accepted it and for once was grateful for one of Gavin’s stupid bets.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the positive feedback!! It's actually encouraged me to continue writing this! I'm not sure how many more chapters, but I do know there will be at least one more after this one. 
> 
> Once again thank you so much and enjoy!

Ryan drove to school today with a faint smile on his face. In fact, most mornings were like this lately. And Ryan loved it. It’s been a couple of months since Ray texted him back for the first time, and the two grew as close as they could over text messages and X-Box Live. The two haven’t exactly met face to face yet, but Ryan figures they have at least seen each other in the hall or something. Ryan’s days recently have been filled with trying to see if he could pick Ray out of the crowds in school, but so far he hasn’t been successful.

He really wanted to meet the gamer known as BrownMan. He wanted to give him the biggest hug possible for all he’s done for Ryan. Ray would probably say he hasn’t done much but listen, but that was enough for Ryan. Ray didn’t sugarcoat many things and often helped Ryan straighten out his thoughts. His humour was in tune with Ryan’s and his quick, witty sarcasm always managed to make Ryan smile.

Ryan heard a buzz come from the cup holder in his console, a new text on his phone. He didn’t doubt it was from Ray. When he came to a stop light, he checked it quickly.

_**Rosey Ray** : Why did I stay up so late? I feel like a zombie…_

__

_**Me** : Cuz video games are obviously way more important than sleep_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Har har har very funny Rye… :P_

Before he could reply, the light changed back to green and he continued on his usual route to school, safely. When he parked his car in the student parking lot, he picked up his phone again.

_**Me** : I told you to go to sleep but noooooooo_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Stfu asshole_

Ryan chuckled to himself, still seated in his car. He grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and got out of his car. He walked up to the school building, staring at his phone but still managing to not run into anybody.

_**Me** : At least it’s Friday and you can get your beauty sleep tomorrow morning_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : I don’t need beauty sleep i’m perfect just the way i am_

__

_**Me** : I don’t doubt it Ray ;P_

__

_**Rosey Ray:** I’m totes super hot ;)_

__

_**Me** : Whatever makes you feel good about yourself_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Don’t judge til you actually see my face, you’ll be falling for me immediately_

Ryan stopped in the hallway. This could be his chance to ask him to meet up. Just do it, Ryan thought to himself. But he could feel his stomach grow heavy and start to knot up as he tried to reply back. He quickly deleted his question and took the lazy, comedic way out.

_**Me** : Nah, I’d like to keep to my imagination for that :)_

Ryan continued to his class and sat down in his seat. From that point on, Ryan felt like he was in a haze. He was so close to saying something about meeting up and he chickened out. If he can perform in front of an audience, in a leotard, he can not be able to ask a simple question to Ray.

True, Ryan did have a crush on Ray. True, this could all go terribly wrong when they meet up and there ends up being no chemistry between them. Well, Ryan honestly doubted that, but it still worried him.

Soon enough, first and second period passed by. Ryan was on his way to third period, distracted still and not really watching where he was going. Then, he felt a mass collide with him. Ryan finally focused at the person on the floor and instantly felt bad. The dude seemed way smaller than him and was really thin. His skin tone was darker than Ryan’s, but not by much. His hair was a short, black mess and his eyes were hidden by thick glasses. He wore a purple hoodie, khaki cargo shorts, and checkered vans. Ryan wouldn’t deny that the kid was kinda cute.

“Hey, sorry man.” Ryan said as he held out his hand. The kid looked at his hand and then up at him. He took Ryan’s hand and the two hoisted him back up.

“No problem dude, I wasn’t exactly looking where I was going. Sorry ‘bout that.” The kid replied as he dusted himself off and made sure his electronics were alright. Ryan couldn’t help perking up, recognizing the voice a little. But before he could get another word out, the boy sped past him.

Ryan turned around and caught the boy’s backside. He was wearing a black bookbag with an assortment of keychains and buttons attached to it. The one that Ryan noticed immediately was a red rose keychain. Before Ryan could think anymore about what just happened, the warning bell rang. Ryan rushed to class, making it to his seat right as the tardy bell rang.

Once again, Ryan was in a trance and this time it was about the possibility that he might of just met Ray for the first time. His appearance explained a lot of things, like his gamertag and how much he complained about being too small compared to his friends. Now, he knew that the boy was indeed good looking, but he wished he could have seen his face for a couple more seconds. That is, of course, if he really was Ray.

Before he knew it, it was lunch time. He filed into the cafeteria along with the other students, his lunch bag in hand. He sat where his friends normally sat and started to scan the room. Ryan jumped when Jack next to him.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Jack asked, starting to dig in to his lunch.

“Nothing much.” Ryan replied, eyes still scanning for that purple hoodie.

Jack quirked an eyebrow at his friend’s short answer. “What are you looking for?”

“Oh, nothing. Just, you know, looking aimlessly.” Ryan said slowly, still turning his head with purpose.

Jack chuckled, then his eyes grew wide. “You found someone, didn’t you?”

That made Ryan turn to look at him. “Wait, what?”

“You totally found a cute dude.”

“Ryan did what?” Geoff asked as he sat down in front of Ryan, Griffon not too far behind.

“Ryan found a cute dude to crush on!” Jack said excitedly.

Ryan groaned. “No, I did not.”

“Aw, look. He’s blushing!” Geoff giggled, voice breaking.

Ryan now felt the heat in his cheeks. He turned away from them and continued his search. He had no luck though. He pulled out his phone and looked at his text messages. Apparently Ray was talkative today

_**Rosey Ray** : Your imagination better me look good or else i’ll be extremely hurt :(_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : What? No witty comeback to that?_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Have I really stumped the mighty Rye-bread?!?!_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Yes, Mr. Burnie, we get it… You could have been famous instead of teacher_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : For real, are you ok?_

Jack looked over at Ryan, seeing a faint smile on his face. Jack smiled to himself and nudged Ryan. He looked up at him, face completely confused. Jack nodded to his phone.

“Is it your secret boyfriend you still have yet to meet?”

Ryan blushed a harsh red. “N-no! I mean, yes it’s him, but he’s not my boyfriend!”

Jack laughed and patted him on the back. “Just messing with you, Ryan. For real though, you need to meet this dude.”

“I know. I really want to…”

“But?”

“But, what if it’s nothing like what we already have? What if I ruin it?”

Jack gave him a reassuring smile. “I highly doubt that will happen. He’s made you so happy, now imagine putting a face and an actual voice to those texts.”

Ryan smiled and unlocked his phone, his messenger on screen. He rubs the surface of his screen. Jack rubbed his back for a few seconds.

“You can do it Ryan.” Jack said as he got up from his seat. Ryan looked at him with confusion until Jack got into a crouching position.

“Just do it!” He yelled in a deep voice as he moved his arms in front of him, copying the Shia LaBeouf meme. Ryan and Geoff laughed at him. along with some stragglers that just heard Jack scream it. Ryan finally took his lunch out of his bag and started to eat.

_**Me** : Sorry, been kinda in a haze today_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : It’s alright, i figured it was something like that_

__

_**Me** : Thanks, um I have a question for ya_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Alright, shoot_

__

_**Me** : You wanna meet up after school? I could give you a ride home or something_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : Dude for real? Yeah i’m down for that, maybe some gaming at my house :D_

__

_**Me** : Sounds awesome, i’ll wait by the tree next to the student parking lot_

__

_**Rosey Ray** : That’s the one in the back right?_

__

_**Me** : Yep that’s the one_

 

_**Rosey Ray** : Kay, see ya then!!_

__

Ryan smiled brightly to himself and could not wait for classes to be over. He looked at Jack and gave him a thumbs up. Jack smiled at him and patted him on the back again.

Lunch ended and now the day seem to drone on. Ryan was too focused on the time and that of course makes everything go slower. Ryan tried to distract himself. He even tried to pay attention to class, he really did. But it wasn’t enough. He leg was twitching underneath his desk and he kept playing with his fingers. Soon enough, he was relieved of his torture when the final bell rang.

He rushed out of the classroom and headed to his locker. He quickly put in his combination, but having to do it a few times before it actually opened. He put away his books and slammed the door shut. His feet couldn’t carry himself fast enough without him breaking into a run. He made it out to the tree he mentioned to Ray and tried to get himself to calm down. He had made it out there first and he prepared himself. He watched the door of the building as students kept piling out. Soon enough he saw the purple hoodie come out of the door and paused, looking around.

He looked in Ryan’s direction and started walking towards him. Once he was close enough to really get the details of Ryan’s face, he stopped. His jaw dropped and he just started flailing his arms around. Ryan gave him a confused look and started walking towards him.

“Ray?” Ryan said hesitantly.

“Really? You had to be that Ryan.” Ray yelled at him. Ryan tensed up, confusion still very present on his face.

“Uh, not sure what you mean?”

“Ryan Haywood! One of the most popular guys at school! All the girls fawn over you even though you’ve never been interested! Possibly the smartest guy at school! That Ryan and that is the Ryan I’ve become friends with.” Ray yelled, still flailing his arms around, now having the attention of every person within fifty feet of them.

Ryan was shocked into silence for a few moments before bursting out laughing. He doubled over with how much he laughed, tears forming in his eyes. He stood up straight and wiped his eyes, calming down.

“I don’t know about all of that, but yeah I’m that Ryan. Do you still want that ride or what?” Ryan smirked at him. Now the height difference between them was very apparent, as if Ray hadn’t gone through a growth spurt in a couple of years. Ray crossed his arms across his chest and huffed out a yes, not looking at Ryan.

  
“Then come on.” Ryan said as he headed to his car, Ray following. He looked behind him and caught Ray smiling fondly at him. He looked forward again and his smile grew. He felt like he had nothing to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for Mama!Jack and Shia LaBeouf references!! 
> 
> If there are any mistakes, let me know! Any comments or critiques are welcomed~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy fucking shit i am so sorry this took so long... a lot happened between chapters and i just got the inspiration to finish this chapter so here you go~

Ray's life was already pretty good, but now it was fantastic. Talking to Ryan was pretty sweet and hanging out with Ryan was fucking awesome. Since Ryan first asked Ray to hang out, they were joined at the hip. In result of that, the two groups of friends found out they worked perfectly together. Lunch time became more entertaining and game nights became more intense. 

But, Ray’s crush on Ryan just grew and grew. It was pretty pathetic. Every time he smiled that stupid charming smile, Ray’s chest would flutter and warm up. And the stupid way his eyes seem to actually glitter when he talked about something he was passionate about. Or when Ryan just grabs his hand and they feel like their hands were meant to fit together perfectly. Ray had it bad for this boy. 

When Michael and Gavin found out how bad it actually was, Ray just wanted the floor to swallow him up. They got their few jokes out, Ray could handle that, but it was that they were trying to set the two of them up every chance they got. Soon Geoff and Jack caught on and they started to join the mission. 

One night, Ray couldn't handle it anymore and just asked Ryan if they could have a sleepover at one of their houses. Ryan gladly agreed, saying that it had been awhile since it was just the two of them. As the weekend drew near, Ray grew more anxious. He didn’t know why, they used to hang out together all the time. Well, they hadn’t since Michael and Gavin found out about his crush and started to push it. 

His mom dropped him off at Ryan’s house and he walked up to the door. He hesitated at the door, trying to calm himself down before he knocked. When he did knock, the door opened a moment later by Ryan himself. His smile was bright and he looked like he was bouncing on the spot.

“Hey, Ray! Come on, I need to show you something!” He shouted behind him as he ran downstairs. Ray walked in the house and saw Mrs. Haywood come out of the kitchen, shaking her head at her son.

“Hi Ray, long time no see.” She greeted.

“Hi Mrs. H. How are you?”

“I’ve been alright, yourself?”

Ray shrugged. “I’ve been good.”

“Ray! Come on!” Ryan yelled from the basement.

“I would run along now before he drags you down there.” His mom said, chuckling to herself. Ray nodded and headed downstairs. He missed this basement. The Haywood basement was the entertainment room of Ray’s dreams. Games, movies, a fucking huge HDTV, and surround sound. Once Ray reached the bottom step, Ryan grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the couch.

“Look! Look at the screen!” He pushed as he pointed at the screen. Ray looked up and saw an achievement list for one of the Halo games. Ryan had perfected the game. 

“Holy shit, Rye! That’s fucking awesome!” Ray said, playfully punching Ryan’s arm. Ryan beamed at him. 

“I literally just got the last achievement a couple of minutes before you knocked.” 

“I’m proud of you, man. Now, for the next one.” 

Ryan immediately deflated and groaned. “Why do you do this to me Ray?”

Ray laughed. “Come on, I’ll help you.” He picked up a controller and turned it on. Ryan got up from his seat and set up the next game. The two played for hours, joking and team killing each other. Ray relaxed over time but he still was a bit on edge. 

Normally, the two were leaning into each other or Ray was somehow in Ryan’s lap, but tonight Ray was still on the other end of the couch. Ryan looked over at Ray and saw him shivering. The basement was pretty cold but Ryan was a heat machine, so it didn’t really bother him. Ray was a different story, despite being from New York. 

“Ray, are you cold?” 

Ray looked at him and shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m fine.”

“You know, you can lean up against me if you need to.” He suggested. 

“Nah, Rye, it’s fine.”

“I kinda find that hard to believe, because usually you’re all over me by now.” Ryan retorted, pausing the game and shifting to face Ray. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Ray said, trying not to look at him. 

“Ray.”

“What?” Ray said as he adjusted himself on the couch. He finally looked at Ryan and the concern on his face. “It’s nothing Rye. I promise.”

Ryan just looked at Ray for a few moments before grabbing him and forcing him to face him with their knees touching. 

“If you’re acting like this, then it’s definitely something. You can tell me.” Ryan said softly as he pressed their foreheads together. Ray felt his cheeks heat up and he couldn’t look anywhere but at Ryan’s eyes. Damn those sky blue eyes. He sighed and decided to tell the truth, for the most part.

“Michael and Gavin found out something and they’ve been up my ass about it. Then, Geoff and Jack got involved too.”

“And that somehow affects our relationship?”

Ray nodded and closed his eyes. “They found out who my crush is.”

Ray could feel Ryan’s body tense up then relax. Ryan whispered out a little ‘oh’ and backed off from Ray. Ray looked at Ryan again and saw the sad look in his eyes. 

“Rye?”

“I can kinda understand what you’re going through, Jack and Geoff found out who’s my crush too. Although, it wasn’t that hard for them to figure it out.”

“Oh.” Ray curled up into a ball, pulling his knees to his chest. “I hope that works out for you.”

“It won’t now.” Ryan mumbled before raising his voice. “I’m gonna get something to drink.”

Ryan stood up from the couch and headed towards the door. Ray watched him for a few moments, making sure he had heard Ryan correctly. Once he figured ‘yeah that’s what he said,’ Ray jumped up and grabbed Ryan by his arm.

“What did you say?”

“That I’m going to get something to drink? Did you want-”

“No, before that. Something about that it won’t work out for you now?”

Ryan’s face flushed and he stared at the floor. “I was hoping you wouldn’t hear that. But, yeah. It won’t happen.”

“Why?”

Ryan looked up at him, hesitant to answer him. “Because… Because he likes someone else.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he just told me.” He said quietly, his voice strained. Ray stared at him as Rye looked at the ground again, defeated.

“Rye?”

“Yeah?”

Ray swallowed before he continued. “Is it me?”

Ryan just nodded. Ray felt a wave of emotion flow through him. He wasn’t sure what it was, relief? Happiness? Sadness? A mixture of all three? He didn’t care. He pulled Ryan into a tight hug as he started to stutter out apologies.

“Ray?”

“I like you too, asshole.” Ray muffled into his chest. It took a moment for Ryan to process what he said, but once he did, he laughed, wrapped his arms around Ray, lifting him up, and twirled them around. 

"Ryan! Put me down!" Ray laughed. Ryan did as he was told and brought his hands up to cup Ray’s face. The way he looked at Ray, it made Ray’s chest swell up with warmth. It was like Ray was the light of his life.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you make me so damn happy.” He whispered, pressing their foreheads together again. “Like my own little ray of sunshine.”

Ray snorted, tried to push Ryan away, and failed. “You sappy motherfucker.”

Ryan just chuckled and tilted Ray’s face up, leaning in. Ray met him halfway for a short yet sweet kiss. Ray smiled and felt absolutely giddy in his chest. 

“Well, I guess this means I get to take you out for a date.” Ryan said.

“Can we just get pizza tonight and consider this a date?” Ray suggested, not being a big ‘going out’ fan. Ryan chuckled and kissed his temple. 

“Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if this was like cringe worthy to read or something like that... I tried and I'm trying to improve my writing, so yeah any help would be appreciated! c:
> 
> Also, if you wanna ask me questions or maybe send in a prompt or something like that, my tumblr is griminwonderland.tumblr.com and my askbox is always open!


End file.
